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Month: January 2018

The wind is blowing moving the leaves on the tree branches as though God is blowing a big breath across the land. A Man walks across heavens field and looking around announces, “I am coming. Look up all ye that believe.”

The sound of horses hooves echo across the sky. Thunder rolls vibrating all that is in its path. The blast of a trumpet resounds drowning out the clap of thunder as streaks of lightning streak down from the heavens.

Gasps are heard throughout the cities. People stop and look up. “What’s happening?” is whispered as others scream in terror. “It is He!” someone shouts and tries to hide behind the corner of a building. Others have fallen to their knees and “praise be to God Almighty” is heard from reverent voices.

“I am coming” echoes off the mountains, the buildings, the clouds above.

Suddenly people are dropping like flies, graves are flying open, and others are being lifted bodily toward the sky. Thousands, millions, are gathered like swarms of locusts marching toward their heavenly home. Others lie dead, their flesh rotting like stale meat.

“I am coming,” the Man, the Great I Am shouts as His horse tramples the clouds and the sun turns to darkness. Screams, cursing, tormented souls fall silent and an eery silence fills the land.

The Man steps off His steed and looks about, looking across the devastation of bodies. Tears fill His eyes. He looks heavenward and tells His Father, “I am so sorry, Father. I warned them.”

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1Thes. 4:16-17

There are times in all of our lives that we feel that what we do is not worthwhile or significant and that no one cares. There is One who does care and regardless of what society, an individual, or even small groups of people think, we are significant in the eyes of the Almighty Lord.

I have gone through those times at various times of my life. I was insignificant in a dysfunctional family growing up. But God didn’tsee me that way! He gave me the ability to survive the atrocities that were being inflicted upon me by others. I was loved by the Great I Am!

Through the years I experienced what could be called “love” from others. Men who I thought I could be the “apple of their eye.” Only to be used as their “conquest.” I have experienced the rejection of others more times than I can count, but God never rejected me!

Through the years I have learned many lessons in this journey through life and most have been valuable and some inconsequential. But the one thing I have finally learned is that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in there is One who knows every tear we shed, knows every bit of the hurt we feel, knows every disappointment, has bottled our tears and has stored them in a secret place in heaven. He knows our heart and when we reach out to Him or to others. He cares!

Today, I am feeling quite humbled that the Lord my God, my Savior Jesus Christ would use someone like me, someone who rejected Him for years, to bring hope to others who are going through tough times.

My fingers are sore. I have a callous on my thumb from a crochet hook flying through the yarn. I am greatly humbled that the gift, or talent, He has given me is bringing joy to several patients with hair loss, vomiting, and fevers from the side affects of chemotherapy. The hats and the scarves that lend warmth on a cold winter day seem like such a small gesture but the joy in the eyes of those who are suffering makes it all worth while.

There’s no intend of patting myself on the back. I give all praise, honor, and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for how He can, and will, use me and you to bring a little joy in the lives of others.

So what is my message here?

No matter what your circumstances, no matter what life has shoved at you, you can be used by God to bring a smile, a tear of joy, and hope to others. What has the Lord Almighty gifted you with? What talent can He use through you to give hope and joy to others?

Let His Holy Spirit work through you, within you, and for you. His healing from all those life situations and circumstances will bring you the joy and peace that only He can give and with that same Holy Spirit you can share it with others. Let His light shine within you and through you and fill the hearts of others.

“Lord my God, I called out to you for help, and You healed me.” Ps. 30:2

The day began bright and sunny with few clouds floating across the blue skies. Simon and a friend decided it was a good day to go fishing but was concerned that maybe it was the wrong time of day.

Backing up their pickup truck they latched the trailer with the john boat to the back hitch and grabbed their water bottles and fishing poles. The ice chest was filled with drinks and sandwiches, ready for a day on the lake.

Simon grabs the starter rope and giving it a quick mean jerk, the engine fires up with a billow of smoke. He steers the boat away from the launching ramp as his friend slowly drives the truck up the ramp and parks in the marked parking space.

Simon turns the boat facing the clear blue waters as his friend wades through the shallow water and crawls aboard. They smile, raise their hands to heaven and at the same time yell, “Show us your favor Lord. The wives want fish for dinner,” and they speed off to deeper waters.

“This looks like a good spot,” Simon announces over the roar of the engine. He cuts the engine off and tosses the anchor overboard. Placing bait on their hooks each sits quietly waiting for the sudden jerk on their line.

It doesn’t come.

Hours are spent, drinks are gulped, sandwiches wolfed down. No bites. Discouragement takes over and as Simon suggests they give up and go home, something happens they’ll neither forget.

Simon gasps.

His friend’s eyes pop wide open and he can’t speak.

A Man approaches. He isn’t in a boat! He’s walking across the water as though He’s on dry land.

They both gulp and begin to stand. “We’ll jump to our deaths.” the friend whispers.

“It’s a ghost.” Simon croaks out.

The Man speaks, “Oh sit down. It’s just Me, Jesus.”

With a sigh of relief the men slowly take their seat while staring at Jesus standing on the water, right next to the boat. “Ya’ wanna’ catch some fish throw your lines on the other side of the boat.” Jesus states confidently.

He steps into the boat, takes the last sandwich and takes a bite. He watches the two men as they struggle with their thoughts.

“Well, Are you going to trust me or not?” Jesus asks while chewing a bite of sandwich.

The men make no comment but cast their fishing lines on the other side of the boat. In seconds they are hauling in the biggest fish they’ve ever caught. They can’t bait their hooks fast enough and in no time the boat is overloaded with fish flopping around in the bottom of the boat. They shout and laugh, not believing their good luck.

Jesus stands, steps out of the boat, turns and grins at the two men. “Told ya’ so! Next time you’ll be fishing for men.” He states and saunters off across the water.

“Huh? Fishing for men? We gonna be looking for dead men out here?” Simon asks as he removes the hook from yet another large fish.

Born Salesman With Best Fish Story Ever

A young guy from Idaho moves to Florida and goes to a big “everything under one roof” department store looking for a job.

The Manager says, “Do you have any sales experience?”

The kid says “Yeah. I was a vacuum salesman back in Idaho.”

Well, the boss was unsure, but he liked the kid and figured he’d give him a shot, so he gave him the job.

“You start tomorrow. I’ll come down after we close and see how you did.”

His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down to the sales floor.

“How many customers bought something from you today?” The kid frowns and looks at the floor and mutters, “One”.

The boss says “Just one?!!? Our sales people average sales to 20 to 30 customers a day.

“That will have to change, and soon, if you’d like to continue your employment here. We have very strict standards for our sales force here in Florida. One sale a day might have been acceptable in Idaho, but you’re not on the farm anymore, son.”

The kid took his beating, but continued to look at his shoes, so the boss felt kinda bad for chewing him out on his first day. He asked (semi-sarcastically), “So, how much was your one sale for?”

The kid looks up at his boss and says “$101,237.65.”

The boss, astonished, says “$101,237.65?!? What the heck did you sell?”

The kid says, “Well, first, I sold him some new fish hooks. Then I sold him a new fishing rod to go with his new hooks. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine Chris Craft. Then he said he didn’t think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4×4 Ford Expedition.”

The boss said “A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and a TRUCK!?”

The kid said “No, the guy came in here to buy tampons for his wife, and I said, ‘Dude, your weekend’s shot, you should go fishing!”

***

Thanks to Larry Craig who alerted us to this story and let us know that the young man who is the subject in this story is a second cousin of Donald Trump. Figures.

Photo Caption: The Kid is a Born Salesman

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